elves live in the land       
      beyond the  great dam.      
   it was built  in the late sixties.   
    the elves came to  us  then.    
                      
                      
 they  were  very  manipulative,  and  we 
 came to trust them.           us 
 kids would play down at the  water  even 
 though we were not allowed.        
    sometimes  the  sluice  would close 
 entirely,  and  the  river at  the  dams 
 foot would dry up,  revealing  the rocky 
 water   garden   that  had  been  hidden 
 beneath, and we would go there.      
       before the dam  opened  again, 
 there  would  be a signal, but the elves 
 would make us not hear it,  and suddenly 
 we would find the  water rising, already 
 at our knees.                
                      
   by  then the elves  would be  gone.